Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sauté pan, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion has begun to soften and lightly caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook until both the onion and garlic are soft and golden brown (be careful not to burn the garlic), about another 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients except for the egg. Stir it gently using two forks -- combine thoroughly but do not over-mix. Using your hands, gently work in the egg and the browned onions and garlic, until just combined.

Shape the mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Brown the meatballs in a little olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat; then nestle them snugly into a large baking dish, cover with foil and bake them in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches about 145 degrees. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.

This is my go-to meatball recipe now. I followed the ingredients to the letter the first time, then veered off and they still always turn out tender and delicious. All lamb or all beef is great, but I think beef and veal is my fave. It's great with or without the parmesan, but my favorite addition is chopped fresh parsley. I just bake them for about 30 minutes (depending on how big they are) to save time, covered in foil; they fell apart in the pan when moved while browning, and why dirty the extra dish?

I LOVE this recipe, and have made it several times. Different combinations of beef/turkey/veal/pork/chicken work equally well, though I usually keep the beef to about 25% of the total meat. I just bake the raw meatballs, without pan frying, for 30 mins at 350. (Covered in aluminum foil, per the recipe.) Definitely extra tender.

I am so excited to find a meatball recipe that does not use pork or milk. Would it be ok without the parmesan cheese? Is there anything I can substitute as I love parmesan but do not mix meat with milk?

These were amazing! I skimped on the veal and went with italian sausage (kids dont' appreciate the veal). I also browned them, and then added a tub of Pomi to the oven and it came out complete with a sauce ready to go on fresh pasta. Total keeper.

1st time reading this and some of the comments are very bad..you look up tender meatballs and this person gives there recipe of it and everybody tells how they use something else...if that's the case then it is different recipe just use what this person uses if not write your own recipe and post it

I love that these meatballs use my age-old Italian tradition of sautéing the onion garlic and whatever else is going in as a mix-in (mushrooms, asparagus, carrots, celery, eye.) the flavor is SO much better than when they are added in raw. I too bake my meatballs in the oven, but do still love to pan fry and then add some white wine and stock to finish them off. This recipe is wonderful, thank you!!

I would like to freeze half of these to save for future use. Would it be best to freeze them completely raw, or should I brown them and freeze with out cooking them through? If I were to roast these without browning as one commenter suggested,should I put them on a baking sheet and give them a little room between meatballs, or should I stick with the original instructions and put them snugly in a baking dish?

Delicious! I used the last of the cream cheese, rather than mayo, panko crumbs, and Italian sausage rather than veal - because that is what I had in the house! Despite these changes, the meatballs were superb! The pan frying and then finishing in the oven made then so moist and tender. Wonderful, thank you!

I prefer roasting raw meatballs at 400 degrees for as long as it takes, usually about 40 to 50 minutes, depending on how large they are. I usually eat one to test for doneness. :)Using an ice cream scoop with a geared release makes them all a similar size and I turn them after about 20-25 minutes so they don't flatten too badly.

I make my favourite meatballs (this recipe/ratio looks delish!), make my favourite homemade sauce. In a large pot I bring my sauce to a boil then throw the balls in raw, not crowding them too much. I let the sauce come to a boil again then turn it down to a low boil and cook em til they're done. Don't disturb them too much in the pot but a nice gentle stir is a good idea. I am a meatball fanatic - like in the worst possible way - and since I've been making them this way I've never looked back. No flat sides, no overcooking/over-browning just unbelievable perfect, round delectable morsels of meaty gold.